My name is Jane Powell, and I am an oil painter. I do mostly animals and figurative work, and I invite you to take a look at some of the paintings I have done for commission.

For many years, I painted figuratively, mostly portraits, but I realised that I was also incorporating birds and animals (quite often pets!) in these works, so it was almost a natural progression that I decided to actually paint people’s pets as well. I have a great love for all creatures, their personalities are fascinating whether wild or tame.

I paint on archival panel in a traditional style and take a long time over each piece. Consequently, I am usually working on more than one piece at a time, and so each one takes about 8 weeks to complete. It is a step by step process from the initial drawing to the many layers I put down. The first two or three layers are in just transparent paint, and I like to let them dry before continuing. I paint using glazes and mediums on each layer, and as the layers progress, I start to include more opaque colours, but still allowing the drying process between layers. When finished, my paintings have a contemporary finish to them due to the pose of the subject against a plain background. Each piece with its’ many layers is quite labour intensive, hence the time needed to complete.

As I think a portrait should be all about the subject, I do not usually paint in a background. I like a simple, single colour to offset the image so that the eye is drawn directly to the subject. We can discuss what this colour is, depending on what suits both you and the portrait itself, or you can leave it to me to decide. If a scene is desired, we can discuss this detail at the time of commission.

If you would like to get in touch with me and talk about a painting of one of your animals or a painting as a gift for someone, please feel free to Contact me about a commission..